When I hear that a church is struggling with worship, it saddens my heart because I know what they are missing, both corporately and personally. For most of my life I attended a church that didn't emphasize or teach worship or even talk about it. We would sing songs during services, but this never moved me closer to God or opened my heart to him.

I clearly remember one instance standing and singing a song that I had sung a thousand times. One of the verses contained the word "worship" and I heard this voice in my head ask, "What the heck is worship?" At the time, the question sounded foreign; I certainly didn't have an answer. Now I understand that the Holy Spirit had prompted me to ask the question because God wanted to give me the answer.

Discovering worship

A couple of months after that episode, we attended Willow Creek Community Church's 20th anniversary celebration  at the United Center in Chicago. You know, the place where the Chicago Bulls play. That night, God answered that question, "What's worship?" in a remarkable way.

Nearly 25,000 people filled the arena and for 2-1/2 hours all those voices, filled with the same spirit and love of God, worshipped their hearts out. I felt awe and wonder over so many people expressing their love for God. They all came because they loved God and wanted to worship him. And God showed me that just as the music and lyrics permeated every inch of the arena, he wanted to permeate and reside in every inch of my heart.

My heart was so full it ached and longed for God and his love. Tears poured from my eyes as God embraced my heart for the first time. I got a glimpse of what the Scripture means when it says we will worship God for all eternity. In those moments, I found myself feeling as if I could worship forever.

When our heart directly connects to God, in that moment neither music styles or genre, nor instruments, or who is leading, really matter. Such issues become peripheral.

Psalms 29:2 says to "ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." It's all about giving God the honor and devotion he deserves from us. It opens a channel for the Holy Spirit to flow through us.

Are members inspired?

Church leaders should ask themselves if their members are inspired to truly worship in their church service. Are there elements that will gently lead an individual into a worshipful place with God or are there elements that are a distraction?

The Rainer Group explains it this way:

According to The Rainer Group, three elements that function well together and allow the church congregation to enter into worship are the music, the environment and the worshippers.

The music should be beneficial for worship and connect with, and fit the context of, the worshippers. It can be a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar music, or a blend of contemporary and traditional styles.

The environment should be conducive to worship. Be aware of the atmosphere that you are creating so that it doesn't distract from the people's mental and emotional involvement during worship. Sound and lighting are especially important. Extremes in either area will cause distractions.

The last element of worship is the worshippers. There are participants, worship leaders and musicians or choir. Each group needs to understand their role and purpose.

Educating people about worship

Church leaders also must educate their congregation about worship. Teach what it means on a corporate and personal level, on a heart level, and on a head level. Also, teach people how to worship. Educate the congregation by bringing in special worship leaders who are gifted in guiding individuals through this very personal and rich time with God.

In addition, encourage your members to attend other churches, conferences or events that are respected because of their worship capabilities. They will come back with a renewed desire to experience the same thing in their own church.